Evidently Harvey's still got some pull in Tinseltown

How else to explain this morning’s Best Picture nomination for the Weinstein Co.’s The Reader, which garnered lukewarm reviews and little box office interest upon its release. (EW’s Lisa Schwarzbaum summed it up by cheering That fifth slot was this morning’s biggest mystery—the other picks (Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, and Slumdog Millionaire) were pretty much a given. The other big surprise? Snubs for Leo and Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road. It particularly stings in the case of the former, who I think is generally underrated as an actor, and it sounded like the movie was a bit of a breakthrough for him. Some year, it’ll happen.

I would’ve liked to see a little more love for The Wrestler, too. Yes, Mickey and Marisa were great, but the direction was a major leap forward for Darren Aronofsky, who dialed back the fussiness that marred his (still very good) early work (Requiem for a Dream, Pi). And, of course, my enthusiasm for Pixar generally and Wall-E specifically led, once again, to a now annual disappointment in the Best Picture category. Still, I was glad to see Heath get a nomination, and I guess I’ll be adding The Visitor and Frozen Winter to my Netflix queue. And besides, if the Academy had gotten things right, it wouldn’t be the Oscars now, would it?

For more breathless coverage, try _EW’s Oscar Watch, The Carpetbagger or Gawker’ssemicoherent reaction piece. See the full list of nominations here and our take on some of those films here.

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